Strong earthquake in Turkey and Syria. Hundreds dead and injured
A strong earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8 occurred in the south of Turkey, near Syria, the international media announces. Almost 300 people have lost their lives in Turkey and Syria, more than a thousand are injured at this time. According to CNN, the earthquake occurred at a depth of 17.9 kilometers. Up to this time, 42 replicas have been recorded. The aftershocks could continue in the hours and even in the following days, experts say.
UPDATE: 08:55 The Syrian Ministry of Health has sent an updated death toll, according to which 237 people have died in the country - in the government provinces of Aleppo, Latakia, Hama and Tartus. More than 600 people are injured, the ministry announced. It is not known how many casualties there are in the rebel-held provinces. UPDATE: 08:15 At least 111 people have died and 516 others have been injured in Syria after a strong earthquake struck southern Turkey, Syrian state television reported, citing the Ministry of Health. The deaths were reported in the regions of Aleppo, Latakia, Hama and Tartus, writes CNN. At least 42 people have died and another 200 have been injured in Syria, reports the SANA agency, quoted by CNN. The deaths occurred in Aleppo, Hama and Latakia regions. Several buildings in Syria collapsed. The White Helmets group, officially known as the Syrian Civil Defense, also announced that there were dozens of casualties and that hundreds of people were trapped under rubble in the Idlib region. Turkish Interior Minister Suleymon Soylu said 10 cities were affected: Gaziantep, Kahramanmaras, Hatay, Osmaniye, Adiyaman, Malatya, Sanliurfa, Adana, Diyarbakir and Kilis. In Malatya province, northeast of Gaziantep, at least 23 people were killed, local officials said. In Sanliurfa there were 17 deaths. Several deaths were reported in Diyarbakir and Osmaniye, reports Digi24.ro. The governor of Turkey's southeastern Sanliurfa province, Salih Ayhan, said on Twitter that there were destroyed buildings and urged people to go to safety. The southern region of Gaziantep is one of Turkey's main industrial and manufacturing centers and borders Syria. There are also many refugees in the area. The European seismic monitoring service EMSC said it was assessing the possibility of a tsunami risk, reports Reuters. The head of Turkey's Red Cross said it was mobilizing resources for the region as it received reports of severe damage and collapsed buildings and urged people to leave damaged homes. The earthquake was felt in Cyprus, Lebanon and especially Syria, but also in Greece and Israel, according to The Guardian. Syrian state media said a large number of buildings collapsed in Aleppo province, while a civil service source in Hama said more buildings collapsed there as well. Aftershocks are still recorded after the shock wave. An aftershock with a moment magnitude of 5.2 occurred at 5:23 local time (4:23 Romanian time), 21 kilometers east of Nurdagi. The earthquake occurred at 1:17 GMT (4:17 local time, 3:17 Romanian time) and the epicenter was located 26 km east of the city of Nurdagi and 32 km from the city of Gaziantep. About 10 minutes later, also in central Turkey, a new earthquake of 6.7 magnitude followed, which occurred at a depth of 9.9. A new aftershock was recorded a few minutes later, 16 km east of Nurdagi, having a magnitude of 5.6 while the depth at which it occurred was estimated at 10 kilometers. Located in the area of major tectonic plates, Turkey is often affected by earthquakes. In 1999, more than 17,000 people died after a powerful earthquake shook the northwest of the country.
